I was born in Poonch (Kashmir) and now I live in Norway. I oppose war and violence and am a firm believer in the peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples. In my academic work I have tried to espouse the cause of the weak and the oppressed in a world dominated by power politics, misleading propaganda and violations of basic human rights. I also believe that all conscious members of society have a moral duty to stand for and further the cause of peace and human rights throughout the world.

Friday, June 09, 2017

Modern democratic states have no business with religion

Nasir Khan

“If I were a dictator, religion and state would be separate. I swear by
my religion. I will die for it. But it is my personal affair. The state
has nothing to do with it. The state would look after your secular
welfare, health, communications, foreign relations, currency and so on,
but not your or my religion. That is everybody's personal concern!”

― Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

These are the words of a wise leader of Indian freedom movement, who
was an inspiration to millions of people in the world for his message of
non-violence and love for truth. It is important for us to
remember that Gandhi was not an atheist or agnostic. He was a devoted
Hindu and a believer in God like Muslim, Christian, Zoroastrian, Baha’i,
Sikh and Jewish believers. However, for him the religion of an
individual was a personal matter. No one should impose a religion or a
belief on others. It was not for the State to tell people which religion
to follow or which god to believe in (there are different views about
god in many religions and his attributes, etc.). In the middle ages,
State and Church in European countries were united. But that changed.
The secularisation process became the norm and new ways of looking at
the roles of state and religions became widely accepted.

Secularism is rooted in the political idea that state and religion have
two different spheres and roles. They should remain separate and we
should not allow anyone to mix them. People should follow whatever
religions they want to follow without the interference of the state. As a
result, there is no more religious coercion from the state or public
bodies/institutions of the people. People have freedom of religion,
freedom to practise any religion, freedom to convert to any other
religion if any choose to do so, freedom to leave or reject religion and
accept agnosticism, atheism, humanism or any other viewpoint. In
democratic countries and their civil societies, these freedoms are
essential ingredients of a civilised existence.

Unluckily, such
views have had much opposition in traditional, conservative societies.
For example, in my country of origin, Pakistan ('Land of the Pure'!),
Muslim clerics and political manipulators have distorted the meaning of
secularism. According to their version, which most Pakistanis accept, it
means rejection of Islam and Allah! It is anti-Islam and a threat to
Islam and Pakistan!

Briefly, to attribute such things to
secularism is totally wrong and pernicious. But the vested interests
that played with the religious susceptibilities of the people for so
long, and so successfully, will continue their exploitation. As I see
it, our hope is that only progressive and democratic people can combat
the reactionary forces and their toxic indoctrination. No doubt, the
task is difficult. But our friends and comrades are doing what they can,
both within and outside Pakistan.